Gregorio B. Begonia Ph.D.
Interim Chair, Department of Biology
Professor of Biology

Tel. 601-979-3902
601-979-2586
Fax. (601) 979-2349
Email: gregorio.begonia@jsums.edu

School of Science and Technology
College of Science, Engineering and Technology

Virology

return to Biology main

Dr. Cedric Buckley

The long-term goal of research in my laboratory is to gain a more complete understanding of the processes by which viral genomes are organized and evolve. Our current understanding of molecular evolution in RNA viral genomes is fairly limited. Much of our current knowledge comes from studies using either bacteriophage or HIV as a model system. My lab studies families of fully sequenced human RNA viral genomes while taking advantage of a comparative genomics/phylogenetic approach. Current projects utilize current and emerging statistical methods of local DNA sequence analysis along with whole-genome comparative genomics to deepen our current understanding of viral genome evolution and genomic architecture. Knowledge gained from projects associated with this research program will be useful in the development of models designed to simulate/predict evolutionary patterns as well as the emergence, through genome evolution, of newly-recognized infectious diseases. These studies should also provide nucleotide sequence analysis data useful in the modeling of the interactions between potential anti-viral chemical compounds and their “evolved” viral protein targets.